Death
by Masaki-Hanabusa
Summary: Dying was just part of daily life, reversible and curable, but every time it was horribly painful to watch time and time again.


A/N: This is part one of my "Let's not have Final Fantasy XIII have more fanfictions than XII movement". I have just come to realize that FFXIII now has five stories more than us, and personally, I think XII is cooler and should have more. Call me immature and somewhat really stupid, but I wanna beat them! So I am just going to do some oneshots to close the gap!

For some reason, this piece is a Basch/Ashe fic, which is weird since I really don't like Ashe. But I need stories, so here we go. Now, please please please review! I really do appreciate it!

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Blood, deep red and endless, spilling out and staining the blades of soft grass. The ozome plains filled with the sound of screeches and roars, the sound of steel slashing through meet and crackles as spells leave fingertips. The peaceful plains had become a battlefield for the misfit travelers, a battle they weren't entirely ready for.

There was no time to heal as relentless beast broke bones and tore meat. Not a single member of the party had avoided a near fatal blow.

Vaan finding his right arm numb and useless as ligements and muscles were torn by fangs and claws. He could no longer hold up his shield to defend himself.

A drowsy Penelo on the verge of falling over from the dizziness, blood trickling down the side of her head from a concussion.

Fran's bloody fingers releasing arrows into the sky as she sat with her leg bent back, mangled and broken in two places. Each one hit its mark, but each one sliced deeper and deeper into her skin.

Balthier holding onto his side, blood oozing out from gaping hole put through his stomach. His gun was losing accuracy as his vision blurred.

Basch struggling to breath under shattered ribs and the pain of internal bleeding, doing his best to lead the bloodied band.

Ashe, holding back the vomit and blood coming up her throat as the poison flowing into her through the bite wound in her shoulder began to take a toll on her body, her body tingling and slowing.

The events were beginning to look bleak and dark and it seemed that the group would meet its end at the most unlikely of places, a stroke of hope broke into the fray. Nearby Garif warriors had been training nearby when they saw the six's plight. Soon the odds change favor.

Ashe let out a sigh of relief at the sight of a garif beating a fiend to death. But sigh was cut short as blood spewed from her mouth onto the grass and rocks. She could no longer feel any part of her body except for the cold that plagued them, the warmth of her body leaving her quickly as her body started to rapidly crash and shut down. Her body could no longer support itself and her vision shot up to the sky before it turned black as she fell backwards.

"Your highness!" Basch wasted no time in getting to her side, taking her icy body into his bruised arms. Her grey eyes looked back at him, but not seeing the man or his distress. The knight held the young woman closer to him, sharp agony through his heart.

It was not the young girl's first death, she had died many times before, but every single time the light left her beautiful eyes, every time her body fell still, it was more than Basch could ever bear.

Fran limped, magic piecing the shards of her bone back together but leaving the terrible pain, up from behind, putting her scarring hands on his shoulder. She placed a brilliant red and gold feather into the palm pf his hand, a pheonix down. She gave a comforting squeeze, understanding the pain he was feeling.

Death was a mysterious thing in Ivalice. Death was a game of chance. Sometimes, if the fates were on your side, death could be cheated, temporary, and life could be pushed back into the body. Other times, with no warning, death can decide to be permanent, eternal. No matter if it was forever or just for the moment, every death was unbearable.

Basch placed the tip of the bright feather against the princess's chest, the area of skin slightly glowing as it flowed into her. Basch's grip tightened. The glowing ceased, but Ashe's body remained still and cold, no oxygen in her lungs. After a moment of nothing, the knight hung his head, buried his face in her soft light hair. Grief filled the fact that he failed to protect the woman he loved and this time, luck had not been on their side.

Then suddenly came a gasp and the princess jerked upward, air filling her lungs and heart pumping once again. The pheonix down had worked. Warmth quickly returned to her bleeding digits and color returned to her cheeks. The cuts and bruises had not all healed, but she was alive.

Basch swooped in and captured her lips in a joyful and desperate kiss.

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A/N: Yeah...Basch/Ashe, there you go. It always puzzled me, how you be mutilated by a giant ass wyrm and be revived rather easily, but hey, arrow to the heart and you are screwed. Anywho, hope you like this and reviews are mucho wanted! Thank you and hope to see you again.


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